Running Over the Redhawks

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – With a 96-62 victory over Simpson University (4-14), TMC improved their overall season record to a spotless 13-0. Scoring was shared by 10 Lady Mustangs, six in double figures.

The evening began with a successful free throw off the hands of Lena Rivera (Allen, TX) and Zoe Scott (Spokane, WA) draining a three-pointer, giving the Lady Mustangs an early 4-0 lead with 18:25 left on the board. The Redhawks quickly responded by tying the contest two separate times in the following two minutes. Jacquelyn Marshall (San Clemente, CA) unlocked the second tie with a jumper, and sparked the Lady Mustangs’ scoring assault with 16 minutes left to play.

The next five minutes displayed a resurgent Redhawk offense, but was eclipsed by the Lady Mustangs' relentless scoring as the home team produced a 14-8 run. In that time, Kimberly Iverson (San Clemente, CA) was spectacular behind the arc, as the senior guard put up three separate treys.

Three-pointers were contagious for TMC, as Rivera aced a trey ball with 7:55 left in the first half. A little over a minute later, Iverson continued to shine by nailing yet another three-pointer, bringing the score to 34-18.

Iverson, Rivera, and freshmen guard Shannon Kingery (West Hills, CA) led the Lady Mustangs in scoring in the final five minutes of the half, as TMC enjoyed a 45-31 advantage at the break.

At intermission, Iverson’s 15 points (5-10 from behind the arc) led all scorers, while Rivera had ten more as the Lady Mustangs connected on 45% (17-37) of their shots, including 8-18 from long range, all the while holding Simpson to a 37% (12-32) in shooting. Marshall grabbed eight defensive rebounds, and led the squad with 11 total rebounds.

In the final 20 minutes, Theresa Brown (Eugene, OR) claimed 11 points, while Kelly Burns chipped in eight of her own. The Lady Mustangs' bench joined in on the fun as Olivia Thompson (West Hills, CA), Kingery, and Burns contributed to TMC's highest scoring contest of the 2012-2013 campaign.

Thompson gave the Lady Mustangs a 35 point margin, their largest of the night, with a fadeaway at the at the 1:49 mark.

At the end of the night, Iverson led all scorers with 18 points, all of which came behind the arc. Marshall complemented Iverson by claiming 10 points, and pulled down a team-best 15 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. In the 96-62 romp over the Redhawks, double digit scoring was shared by four other Lady Mustangs: Lena Rivera (14), Scott (11), Brown (11), and Burns (10).

Conference play begins for the undefeated Lady Mustangs Tuesday night at home in Bross Gym against Hope International (8-7) in a 5:30 PM tipoff.